July 8, 2009

The issue of militancy and the Taliban continues to be framed erroneously — most recently as a variant of the “with us or against us” choice: either one supports the military operation in Swat and Fata or one is supportive of the Taliban. Just as the Bush choice has been largely responsible for the chaos and radicalisation in the Muslim world, so the Pakistani variant doing the rounds currently misses the real issue. After all, there is and always has been a consensus in Pakistan that militant extremism should be crushed and the writ of the state and government established. The disagreement is over how to go about achieving this objective. Should there be an attempt to go to the root causes of militancy and then to resolve the issue through a multi-pronged strategy including dialogue backed by state power as well as policies to bring in the marginalised population by giving them a viable stake in the system? Or does the solution lie in simply unleashing indiscriminate military force to establish the writ of the state while the roots of the problem continue to fester? Having just returned from a visit to the US organised by the Pakistani community to raise money for Shaukat Khanum Hospital, as a result of meetings arranged by the community I had the opportunity to meet with Senator John Kerry and Congressman Gary Ackerman, both influential players in the context of our region. I was surprised to find both quite open to rethinking their present Afghan strategy. In fact, they have realised that the continuation of the military-centric Bush approach has failed and new options must be examined. There is, therefore, a need to engage with those in the US seeking more viable alternatives for this region as well as with members of the Obama administration. A meaningful engagement can be done through sending a delegation of experts who understand the tribal areas and Afghanistan – not simply the self-anointed “experts” — referred to by one analyst as “native Pakistani informer(s) — who speak what the traditionalists in the US want to hear. I am convinced that a powerful presentation can be made about the need for a US exit strategy from Afghanistan and I believe the Obama Administration can be made to see the following points: * It is costing the $60 billion a year and costs will go up with the surge – and with no guarantee of a turnaround. Simply sending more troops into a multidimensional conflict will not turn the tide in one’s favour. * The longer this war goes on, the more chances of a radical takeover in Afghanistan and the greater the threat of radicalisation amongst the Muslim youth. These youth, especially in the Western countries, pose a greater danger to these countries including the US than al-Qaeda. * The situation in Afghanistan has been moving in favour of the Taliban and deteriorating for Nato and US forces since the past few years. The question is why our government does not realise that there has to be a new strategy as the current one is sheer madness? The answer is that there are those in our leadership who are quite willing to go along with the current policy of spilling Pakistani blood — both of the soldiers, civilians and militants — as long as they can get dollars and US support. Even more crucial, all the issues of bad governance and corruption (400% rise in 3 years) are papered over as the leadership hides its incompetence under the counter terrorism banner. Like their predecessors, they also know that if things go out of control in Pakistan, they can always take off to western capitals where their wealth and properties await them. Beginning from zero militant Taliban in 2004 before the Waziristan operation, today there are around 30 Taliban groups (according to the presentation given by the army to the Parliamentarians). No one has any idea who is backing which group; what percentage are fighting because of Pushtun solidarity; how many belong to the old jehadi groups created at the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan; how many are actually criminals and unemployed; how many are paid by the enemies of Pakistan to destabilise the country; and so on. In other words, there is an odd amalgam of militants and criminal elements seeking to destabilise the Pakistani state. How can military operations be supported when our soldiers die in vain, when each operation produces more militancy as well as increasing the suffering of the local civilian population? While the government correctly claims that drone attacks are counter productive and produce more militancy, would the Pakistan military’s aerial bombardment with its indiscriminate “collateral damage” also not have the same effect? Herein lies a basic contradiction in the government’s policy. Those who are suffering the most are the people of the tribal areas and Swat – with over three million people displaced, their homes, livelihood and children’s education destroyed. What about the forgotten Bajaur operation earlier this year when 500,000 civilians were displaced and our soldiers suffered many casualties. Today, the Taliban control the same areas that the army had removed them from earlier. The most disconcerting aspect of the present military action is that no one is interested to know what needs to happen for us for “victory” to be declared. As happened in the fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan, this “war” could go on endlessly and spread across the country. After all, a brief look at the history of the tribal areas reveals how the British were embroiled in an unwinnable war for 80 years and before them the tribals confronted the Moghuls for 69 years. Can Pakistan afford these operations for even the next five years? How will we deal with the continuing flow of displaced people – or how long will the IDPs survive living as nomads in their own country? How are we planning to stop the radicalisation of the youth in such conditions? Where will we find the resources to eventually rehabilitate these displaced families, given the massive infrastructure damage? What about the impact on the economy if these operations continue endlessly? Already the political situation in the NWFP is getting worse by the day. We have created perfect environment for our enemies to exploit tensions emerging from the current chaos- ethnic, provincial, religious (shia/sunni, deobandi/barelevi) and class (as in Swat). The critical question is: what is the solution? In Swat, despite being a severe critic of the timing and nature of the military operation, now that it is in full swing, it has to go on till the writ of the government is established. Otherwise there will be even more anarchy as all existing infrastructure has been destroyed. But there is still a need for a more targeted focus of the military operation and a gearing up of the civil administration including the police and local judiciary. The solution lies in pulling our troops out of Fata gradually and simultaneously reviving the tribal structure. But this means not only withstanding political pressure from Washington but also doing without US dollars – both of these seem beyond the capability of the current dollar-addicted leadership! However there are voices within the US political and administrative structures that are becoming more sceptical about the US policy in Afghanistan. For instance, Graham Fuller, the former CIA station chief in Kabul wrote in the International Herald Tribune that there was no military solution to the problem in Afghanistan. According to him, Pakistan was “cracking under the pressure” put on it to “do more” by the US and that the Pakistan security forces could control the militancy within its borders provided Nato leaves Afghanistan. If sane voices in the US can see the writing on the wall, why is our leadership still going down a suicidal course for their own vested interests – destroying the military and the nation in the process?

It’s a story of Mr. Qalandar Khan Resident of a little village Miandad Corona, near Risalpur NWFP who is one of my dear one whom I push always, even I feel some time guilty for doing nothing for him but as I mentioned above I am keep pushing him towards hope for good. He is now a student of Alama Iqbal Open University and doing his graduation along with I am trying to push him in the Bloggers world where he can write down his daily experience, and feel a fresh air after expressing his impressions.

Story Starts from Here…

This is the dark age of competition. Every one is looking forward and never looks behind such as Lucy gray. This poem is written by willium wordsworth.

Lets to read a stanza of this poem in which I shall discuss the word “behind”

“Yet some maintain that to this day she is a living child

That you may see that Lucy gray upon the lone some wind

Over rough and smooth she trips along and never looks behind.”

So I was talking about the word behind. In this Dark Age we have totally forgotten our past and we never look behind.

I am also one of them. I neither read the past nor write about the past. I am also a competitor and compete every one in every walk of life. During this competition I become THREE IN ONE.

Lets to explain what is THREE IN ONE.

For the first time in my life I join a Chinese company CLJV {Crescent Lioning Joint venture} as a security guard and I started my job with less salary of Rs 1800.

It is not enough for me but I continue my job. In our company there were great mechanics for auto workshop there was a big store in which you will find every kind of spare parts for vehicles. There were three power electricians. When the power failed they operate the generator. They became my friend because their office was beside to our office. So I decided to learn the magic methods of electrician. So I said to them that I want to become an electrician. They accepted my request and I began hard work to become an electrician. At last I become a power electrician.

During this stage I got admission in the FCC (Frontier Computer College) and successfully completed my one year diploma in computer programming. When the Chinese company completed their project they terminated the entire officer and the entire labourer. But I have a great hope for a job because I was an electrician and a diploma holder.

But in think that every will be astonish to hear that now I am a Mason and working for the whole day long in the direct sun light. But still I hope that I am Three in One.

I never look behind. Because no young men ever think he shall die. He may believe that others will.

OR

Assent to be doctrine that men are moral but he could bring it home to himself individually.

Who will be the successful man in this mortal world……?

I think the successful man is that who prepare for Hereafter. If we keep the Islamic virtues we will be success I our life otherwise ………

July 2, 2009

ISLAMABAD (May 09 2009): One must wonder if told that it is possible for you to use six cellular connections with single Subscriber’s Identity Module (SIM). Experts say that there is a Magic Gadget available in the market, which enables you to have multiple connections in it. You can easily purchase the device and its driver with the instructions manual from the local markets.

“Basically, the SIM comes with no data in it, such as an audio cassette comes blank first, but you can record songs in it. The same way, you would have to purchase a blank SIM and get it loaded into a SIM card reader to load SIM data into it. The blank SIM is available in the market for Rs 250 while the cost of loading 6 SIM’s data over it is also Rs 250,” said Zawar Hussain, an IT expert, in an exclusive talk with the APP. For instance, he said, this blank SIM could be loaded with data of your Mobilink, Telenor, Zong and Warid SIMs, simultaneously.

“So you need to take along 5 SIMs to a mobile market, where someone offer such a services, to get 1 SIM in return that has all connections in it for Rs 500 only. You can keep one connection switched on at one time, and you will have to restart your phone in order to switch from one connection to another,” he added.

“It has been useful for the international traders who travel a lot, and they don’t have to carry local SIMs for each country they travel. So is the case of tourists and youth,” he added. However, Zawar Hussain noted that the Warid and Telenor SIMs may not be got copied on the same SIM which means that, if a SIM has Telenor’s data in it, then Warid’s data may not get copied and vice versa.

“If you use multiple SIMs with one mobile phone, then you can avoid opening phone and replacing SIMs with this 6 in 1 SIM. These SIM Card readers are available in all major markets of big cities, including Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, Sialkot, etc,” he added.

“Never give out your SIM to any shopkeeper for copying your SIM. Instead, get this USB SIM Card Reader/Copier and do this at your home. Otherwise, the shopkeeper may keep a copy of your SIM and use it later on,” warned the expert. When contacted, Mubasher Javed Khan, a college student, confirmed that he had done so.

“This is the best modern device I ever got. However, I think it affects our normal communication on a single SIM. I am looking for a gadget that could help me use more than one connections at a time. I would also want to know if this magic SIM works on all cell phones,” he added.

Uzair Khan, another student said it would be a very pleasant experience to have six connections over one SIM. However, he asked, “What about the protection of our SIM data. What if they copy your normal SIM data and save it later on and clone your SIM card on another blank sim.” When contacted, Zawar Hussain said this could happen and one must be very careful while using such a modern gadget.

“It is easy to make copies of these SIMs and write them on any blank SIM. I would suggest that never ever give your SIM to a shopkeeper for preparing this SIM even if he doesn’t charge you. If he prepares back up of your SIM on his computer, he would be able to use your SIM, as if you yourself would be using it. Moreover, he can make as many copies as he wishes. Not only that, no one would be able to help you not even that mobile company whose SIM are you using,” he added.

However, he said one cannot copy every SIM by this copier, it can copy only old SIM and not a new SIM, as the new SIMs have better technology. The new SIM circuit is small than the old ones, as the old SIM circuit is much bigger, he concluded.

July 1, 2009

New York – After Obama apologized for the strike which the Afghan government claimed killed well over a hundred ordinary country folk, came the report that the families of those killed, and subsequent Afghani dead falling in harm’s way of the US military, continuing as before, can apply to receive up to $2,000 compensation. This is the price the great United States of American puts on an Afghan or Pakistan human being, while awarding $100,000 to families of Americans who die while fighting and killing wherever.

Shocking? Shame provoking? Embarrassing that no Afghani or Pakistani child or parent has any human right at all, including the right not to be blown to pieces in a US drone air strike? – the final insult being the value of their lives put at a mere $2,000 by the wealthiest nation in history?

Naw, not within the general public, which more or less accepts this assessment of a well-liked Commander-in-Chief President Obama, and accepts the calculations by his generals and higher officers.

In imperialist America, there is not even any interest in such ‘war casualties,’ considered ‘inevitable’ by the U.S. government, now led by the Obama administration, as it continues to react worldwide to the Saudi Arabians (and one Algerian and one Yemenite) who suicided themselves into the walls of the Pentagon and World Trade Center in 2001.

Why bother to continue amplifying the point of this article? Why bother to remind people that the Prime Minister of Pakistan has demanded that US stop killing its citizens from the air? The U.S. installed President Karzai of Afghanistan has pleaded for a bombing halt for years to no avail. His legislature has long called for negotiations with the former governing Taliban, amnesty for all, and the removal of U.S. and other foreign armed forces.

Why bother to remind people that the Iraq legislature asked for the same, years ago? Who remembers? All this was reported by the Associate Press but appeared only on the Internet. (In Iraq, a ‘Sympathy Payment’ – as reported in 2005 – could be as high as $6,000. Maybe it is higher in Iraq because Iraq has a lot of oil.)

But, in any case, who cares? Only the exceptional so called ‘bleeding hearts’, ‘oversensitive’ progressives, communists, socialists and overseas anti-imperialists like Presidents Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, Rafael Correa, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Daniel Ortega and some others, like Lula of Brazil, who are aware that it is healthier for their country to keep their reaction to themselves.

Words, words, words, as drones continue to fire missiles on orders from the popular highest elected official in America.

Yours truly will never forget being taken aback by Barak Obama’s hand shooting up in the air in answer to Wolf Blitzer, monitoring a Democratic Candidates Debate, ‘Raise your hand, if you would give the go ahead for a missile strike to take out an important al Qaida leader, if you knew there would be civilian casualties.’ (Blitzer emphasized the last phrase.)

Wish that Dennis Kucinich or Mike Gravel were president today. They did not raise their hands.

All the more puzzling is this observation in context of the fact that President Obama is the loving father of two young children. Too bad Blitzer didn’t ask, ‘Raise your hand if you would give the go ahead for a missile strike to take out an important al Qaida leader, if you knew YOUR OWN CHILDREN would be casualties.’

Still more puzzling because the children of nations under US militarily occupation are Obama’s and America’s responsibility, as Jesus, Obama’s Savior, taught, as even more basic than the Geneva Convention’s civilian protection signed agreements.

Jay Janson , musician and writer, who has lived and worked on all the continents and whose articles on media have been published in China, Italy, England and the US, and now resides in New York City. This article is courtesy Information Clearing House.